Selection completed for second cohort of School Nominations Direct Admission Scheme

     The Education Bureau (EDB) today (July 6) announced the completion of the selection process of the second cohort of the School Nominations Direct Admission Scheme (SNDAS).
           
     A total of 720 valid SNDAS nominations were received from 382 secondary schools for the second cohort. In the past few months, the eight University Grants Committee (UGC)-funded universities participating in the Scheme arranged interviews for all nominated students and carefully considered their individual merits. Firm offers were eventually made to 256 successful nominees prior to the release of the 2023 Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE) Examination results, of which 239 have accepted the offers and will commence study on their chosen UGC-funded undergraduate programmes in September 2023 in a wide spectrum of disciplines including architecture, surveying and town planning, arts and humanities, business, computing and engineering, education, environmental studies, design, fine arts, language, law, medicine and health, music, sciences, social sciences. A breakdown by discipline of study is provided in the Annex.
           
     The Secretary for Education, Dr Choi Yuk-lin, was pleased to note the encouraging results of the second cohort of the SNDAS, in particular the significant increase in the number of offers made to successful nominees. 
           
     "As always, the Government strives to nurture young people and is committed to enhancing the education system's diversity by creating opportunities for different students and allowing them to realise their full potential. I am immensely appreciative of the universities' support for the SNDAS and their recognition of students' diverse talents. These diversified talent portfolios will be essential in meeting Hong Kong's development needs and enhancing the city's competitiveness," Dr Choi said.

     The third cohort of the SNDAS will be open for applications by Secondary Six students taking the 2024 HKDSE Examinations and commencing their undergraduate studies in September 2024. Details of the application arrangements will be announced in due course.
          
     The SNDAS was introduced in 2021 as part of the Government's response to the recommendations made by the Task Force on Review of School Curriculum, which included enhancing the flexibility in university admissions. The eight UGC-funded universities had designated a total of over 200 publicly funded undergraduate programmes to participate in the second cohort of the SNDAS and set admission criteria that are not based on HKDSE Examination results for individual programmes.